Press Club Event: 'Why Are They Not Home?; Challenges Faced By US Government In Resolving Journalist Hostage Cases' August 14

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Aug 09, 2023, 10:21 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

News Advisory:

Event:	Panel discussion "Why Are They Not Home?" to mark the 11^th anniversary of the abduction of journalist Austin Tice in Syria.

When:	Monday, Aug. 14 Breakfast; 9:00am: Panel 9:30-10:30am; Q&A 10:30-11am
Where:	National Press Club, 529 14^th Street NW, Washington, DC – Holeman Lounge
Who:	Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal Sonya Smith, freelance (Texas Monthly) Bill McCarren, National Press Club (moderator) Eileen O'Reilly, National Press Club (welcome and close) Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor, Washington Post (opening remarks)

Context:

Held in Syria 11 years, Austin Tice is the longest-tenured U.S. hostage. Almost twice as long as Terry Anderson of the Associated Press was held. At this 11^th anniversary, we consider why journalists are so often held the longest or suffer fates like those of Jamal Khashoggi and Shireen Abu Akleh? In light of new hostage cases like that of Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal, we are compelled to look at the approach and results of the USG in these cases.

In this panel we will try to discover what are the special challenges government encounters when the hostage is a journalist and if there are ways to work around these issues or best practices that should be deployed.

It is honestly hard to find a recent government success story when it comes to freeing journalist hostages. Possibly the Danny Fenster case would be one -- but the person who did the most to free Danny was explicitly told by the government not to do what he did. If left to the government, Danny might still be in prison. Jason Rezaian at 544 days was the best example of a successful case we have. This is grim news for Evan and any future journalists taken.

When a journalist is taken hostage, it deprives citizens of the information they need to participate in a functioning democracy. And when a hostage is held for 11 years it makes the government look incredibly weak and disorganized and limits their ability to project power.

The panel will begin with Debra Tice who will share her thoughts on this day about Austin's case. This event is open coverage for credentialed journalists. Those who cannot attend in person may view the livestream here.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for The National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club